new tubes needed what do i get

[mike5531]

ok so iv realised that my tubes need replacing so which ones should i get?

i have 5 tubes in place at the moment each give of 20w over a 30gal planted tank

the tubes are 2 power glos, 2 life glo II's, and one thats looks the same as the life glos but is a cheap brand.

any help would be greatfull

thanks mike

 

[George Farmer]

Personally I'd avoid the Hagens and go for a mix of Dennerle Special-Plant, Arcadia Freshwater and possibly one other i.e. Interpet Daylight Plus or Triplus. This recommendation is based on my own success with the above tubes.

An ideal ratio would be 2 x Dennerle, 2 x Arcadia, 1 x Interpet.

The Dennerle produce a warm/yellow/orange light that is balanced by the higher colour temp. of the Arcadia and Interpet. The Arcadia are great for bring out the green in the plants. I run 2 x Dennerle and 2 x Arcadia at the moment.

I assume you already run CO2. Ensure you're at around a stable 30ppm BEFORE installing your new light. It may be a good idea to change just one or two bulbs at a time, if you change them all at once the plants may not adjust too well and algae may flourish.

What is your fertilising regime BTW? With that much light/CO2 and therefore inevitable growth you may need to think about regular dosing. NO3 may not be an issue however judging by your fish stocking levels.

 

[mike5531]

one of them has just blown in fact it was the cheap branded one!

i carnt get the tubes from anglian aquatics as the wont take my card for some reason? so is there anywhere else i can get them from?
if not is there a substiute

 

[nodding_dino]

what about newleaf, although it looks as though you might have to order over the telephone?

 

[nodding_dino]

oops...just noticed this on another thread )

 

[@ombomb]

Personally I'd avoid the Hagens and go for a mix of Dennerle Special-Plant, Arcadia Freshwater and possibly one other i.e. Interpet Daylight Plus or Triplus.

Can I suggest you edit your stickied post on lighting an aquarium then or at least give them a ranking of sorts. I bought my Hagen bulbs based on the recommendation there, without realising some of the tubes were more highly recommended than others.

 

[George Farmer]

Personally I'd avoid the Hagens and go for a mix of Dennerle Special-Plant, Arcadia Freshwater and possibly one other i.e. Interpet Daylight Plus or Triplus.

Can I suggest you edit your stickied post on lighting an aquarium then or at least give them a ranking of sorts. I bought my Hagen bulbs based on the recommendation there, without realising some of the tubes were more highly recommended than others.

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I would rank the Life-Glos up with the others - a good tube IME. The reason I said to avoid Hagen was more for the Power-Glos and the fact that the Life-Glos are more expensive.

I would find it hard to "rank" the tubes as IME they all perform well. The choice is more to do with personal taste (i.e. colour) and availabilty.

In summary - don't worry, your tubes are good.